Loose Ends
by Aesop
Summary: Gargoyles 2.  David Xanatos has made mistakes.  Now he has to answer for them.


LOOSE ENDS

DISCLAIMER: The characters from Gargoyles belong to Disney and Buena Vista Television. I gain nothing by writing this.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is my second fanfic, a sequel to A Starting Place. It involves new characters as well as old favorites. The characters not created by me are the property of Disney and Buena Vista. I'm just borrowing them.

It had been a bad morning. Nightstone Unlimited was still doing everything it could to block his acquisition of Novatech. Novatech itself wanted concessions he wasn't willing to give, and the president of the firm had made it plain that he intended to fight every step of the way. Xanatos had hoped to smooth matters over during their meeting, but it had not gone well at all. Demona's lawyers (A gargoyle with a legal staff, what a concept) were real sharks.

It had been a long, tiring, aggravating day, and the last thing David Xanatos needed was the unpleasant surprise he received when he entered his private office in the castle.

The office was a sanctuary for him. It was a quiet place to work and think where he could be assured that he would not be disturbed. He paused inside the door and let out a sigh, then stood motionless for a moment, eyes closed. It was a full 20 seconds before he realized someone was sitting in his chair. It was turned toward the office's floor to ceiling window. The window gave the best view of the city short of the castle wall itself and was the main reason that Xanatos had chosen this room for his private office. He had not left the chair facing the window.

The chair was a high backed swivel type that, at the moment, hid his visitor from view. He ran quickly through a list of possibilities and dismissed most of them immediately. He cleared his throat to get the person's attention.

"About time," the unseen visitor rumbled. "I've been waiting over an hour."

"Sorry to inconvenience you." Xanatos didn't try to hide his annoyance. He didn't recognize the voice and decided he would have to play this carefully until he found out just what was going on. Who was he? How had this stranger gotten in here? "Who are you and what do you want?" So much for being subtle. He must be in more need of rest than he'd realized.

"Straight to the point. I like that." The stranger didn't turn around. "My name is Hunter, and what I want will become obvious shortly." Xanatos quickly ran through a mental inventory. The only hunters he knew of were the Canmore family. Could this be John?

"Hunter, is it?" He sounded skeptical.

"It might sound like an alias, but its not. Unlike others in my position, Talon, Fang, and Claw for instance, I didn't choose a pseudonym. Hunter is my real name." He turned the chair abruptly and gave Xanatos a wide toothy grin. It was a disconcerting expression to find on a lion. "Don't the irony just make you sick?"

The names Hunter had mentioned provided some forewarning, but Xanatos was still barely able to contain his reaction. Finding that his visitor was an unfamiliar mutate was the last thing he had expected. It was several seconds before he was able to shift mental gears in an attempt to deal with this unforeseen development.

He took the seat across the desk from Hunter. "We _do_ have a lot to talk about. How did this happen?"

"I suspect you know more of the technical details than I do. After all, it was you who had Sevarius devise the procedures and compounds that made it possible." Xanatos said nothing. "As to the exact circumstances, they probably aren't all that different from those of the first...mutates, is it? I'm not here to discuss the past. I'm here to talk about our present situation and your future."

"You seem to know a great deal. How did you learn about me?"

"Sevarius kept detailed records as any good scientist should. I gained access to those records and learned about the doc's past experiments and your part in them. I also learned quite a bit about you personally." His voice hardened. "You have much to answer for."

Xanatos couldn't meet his eyes. "I know." He took a deep breath and made the plunge. "I'm afraid if you've come to me for a cure, I can't help. I can't undo what's been done to you."

"I know that too. As I said, Sevarius kept excellent records." Hunter snorted. "Do you really believe that, even if you came up with something, I'd trust you enough to let you use it on me?"

"I know you have no good reason to trust me or believe what I say, but things have changed since then. I've changed."

"So I've heard. Amoral megalomaniac and borderline sociopath turns loving family man and all 'round humanitarian." He added one last word to summarize this assessment.

It wasn't the obscenity itself that made an impression on Xantos. He had heard much worse. It was Hunter's tone as he uttered it. His words lacked the anger he had expected. The speech was delivered in the same tone one might use to comment on the weather. Hunter was stating a fact, and not a particularly important one.

"It doesn't matter to me whether you've reformed or not. You'll help me because it's in your own best interests to do so. There's something you don't seem to realize." Hunter watched him closely as he delivered the next bit of news. "Sevarius didn't do this to me. He is not involved in this new project."

It took a moment for the possible implications to sink in. "Who? Someone who worked for Sevarius?"

"That is what I need you to tell me. Someone else now has all of his research. Whether it was stolen or whether Sevarius sold it, I don't know. Either way, it means trouble for you and possibly a lot of other people." He leaned back and regarded Xanatos darkly. "You've been sloppy. You lost control of the technology." He sighed. "I shouldn't be surprised, I suppose. Your arrogance is well known. You believed you could bend and break laws, manmade and natural, with impunity. The question now becomes what are you going to do about it?"

Xanatos was silent for several minutes considering the ramifications of this unpleasant news. Hunter was right. He had been sloppy. He had seen the potential of Sevarius' work and had not taken adequate safety measures. Now someone else was paying for his misdeeds and his carelessness.

"I suspect you have an answer to that or you wouldn't be here." Hunter nodded.

"I intend to shut down that lab, free the others like myself trapped there, and ensure that this never happens again, but I need help to do that. I need the other mutates. They're the best ones to help me. You know where they are or how to contact them. I also want as much information on the people behind this as possible. You have the resources to find out. I need to make sure that no trace of the research leaks out. There are also certain pieces hi tech equipment and sophisticated software that I'll need to do that. You can provide all of it."

Thinking quickly, Xanatos made a preliminary list of all of the things that would be needed. Then a thought struck him. Hunter had come to him convinced that he would have to force his cooperation. Where was the threat?

"I take it you have something to offer in exchange for all of this? I would gladly help you anyway, but you obviously expected to have to blackmail me or threaten me in some way."

Hunter looked disgusted. "You weren't paying attention were you? Violence would gain me nothing, and blackmail is unnecessary. I told you that I learned of you from Sevarius' records. Those records are currently in the hands of a person or persons unknown. It is in your best interests to destroy them before whoever is behind this decides to use them for blackmail or simply eliminates you by turning them over to the police. If that happens it's going to be next to impossible to find a jury that won't want to bury you under the jail house."

Hunter was rather pleased to see some of the arrogance drain from Xanatos' face.

It was almost a minute before the billionaire regained sufficient composure to speak. "You have a point. You will destroy the records along with the rest of Sevarius' research?"

He nodded. "Correct. The evidence will be destroyed in exchange for your help in getting in, freeing the other mutates, and destroying the research. Is the offer acceptable?"

"Yes, agreed, but this isn't going to be easy."

"Don't worry Xanatos. I'll hold up my end of the bargain. I have no interest in revenge." He rose from behind the desk. "Now, you have work to do. I want to meet with the mutates as soon as possible. My escape from the project facilities has set a clock ticking. We can't waste a moment."

"Agreed. There are some people you should meet. They can convince the mutates if I can't. They'll certainly want to help out themselves."

"Friends of yours?" Hunter frowned.

"I trust them."

"My confidence soars."

OOOOOOOOOO

Hunter stood in the shadows of the parapet, his wings caped. He was careful not to show any reaction as the statues began to shudder and crack. The gargoyles were waking up. Hunter had found it hard to believe that such creatures actually existed when he had first learned of them, and to see them in the flesh was unsettling. These were not victims of some mad scientist's experiment. These creatures had never been human.

_I've got to be out of my mind_, he thought. He held himself stiffly, giving away nothing as the creatures moved toward him and Burnett. When he set things in motion by breaking into the building and Xanatos' office, he had committed himself. He couldn't turn back now. _Besides_, he reminded himself, _I've got nowhere else to go_.

The big one stared at him curiously. Hunter wasn't sure what he expected, but these creatures were unlike anything he had seen before, and his life had hardly been mundane before the change. There were vaguely reptilian aspects to some of them, but they were not reptiles. In truth, Owen Burnett reminded him more of a snake than Goliath did. Impressions aside, Burnette was efficient. Virtually everything was in place. All he needed was the team to pull off the raid.

"Who's your friend Owen?" this from the smallest of the group.

Hunter stepped forward. "My name is Hunter. I think we need to talk." Goliath, who'd been watching him keenly from the moment he revealed himself, nodded, but he said nothing.

Fifteen minutes later they were seated in the library. Goliath had made the introductions and provided a capsule version of his clan's story to date. Hunter was skeptical, but he thought the gargoyles could be trusted, if for no better reason than that they had reservations about Xanatos.

Hunter nodded. "An amazing story. My own seems mundane by comparison."

"What about your story then?" The elder, Hudson, eyed him cautiously.

"If you don't mind I would rather wait until everyone is assembled before I begin to tell my own story. The mutates, Talon and the rest may have information about people working with Sevarius that could be useful."

"That's already taken care of." They turned to see Xanatos and a woman Hunter didn't recognize standing in the door. As they came into the room, it suddenly clicked.

"Detective Elisa Maza, I presume."

She looked startled, then nodded. "That's right. How did you know... the records Xanatos mentioned, I'm mentioned in them?"

Hunter nodded. "As a possible source of leverage with the gargoyles or with your brother."

She paled. Goliath moved to stand next to her, looking protective. He glowered in a rather unfocussed way since there was no enemy at hand. He was clearly not happy at the prospect. They had always known that possibility existed, but it was a shock to hear someone put it that bluntly. This Hunter, Elisa decided, was a cold one.

Following Xanatos, four others entered the room. Two, Hunter recognized from pictures he'd seen in Sevarius' records. Talon and Claw looked tense at being in what they obviously considered an enemy camp. The other two directly contrasted each other. One was a huge, burly gargoyle with a heavy, black beard. He carried a strange looking battle-ax with him. The other was small and wiry, less than half the other's mass. He had very dark skin and quick eyes that darted around the room. When he moved, it was with casual grace and astonishing quickness. He settled himself on the back of a chair and stayed perfectly still except for his eyes which tried to watch everyone at once. Hunter found him very unsettling.

OOOOOOOOOO

"I don't remember much about the change itself. It was like all the illnesses and aches I ever had came back all at once with a vengeance. At times, it felt like my body was trying to tear itself apart." He shuddered at the memory. "When I recovered I was like this. The doctors told us that the change was unstable." The gargoyles looked startled, the mutates looked alarmed. "They said that changes would continue unchecked unless we were given certain drugs to inhibit the effect of the mutagen."

"As far as I know," Goliath said, "that is untrue, unless they have somehow altered Sevarius' formula."

"They haven't," Hunter confirmed. "The drugs we were told we needed to stay alive had an entirely different effect. All they did was make it virtually impossible for us to think clearly. It was so much simpler to do what we were told. The stuff clouded our minds and made us very open to suggestion. They apparently learned from what happened with the first mutates. They wanted to make sure they maintained control."

"But you escaped." Angela looked thoughtful. Hunter turned to her and nodded, struck by the odd thought that she was beautiful. He never thought he would think of a gargoyle that way. Then again, he had never given gargoyles much thought at all. He smiled ruefully, or tried to anyway.

"I'd like to say it was some inner fortitude that allowed me to break free. Some reserve of courage or strength that the drugs couldn't touch. Wouldn't that be melodramatic? Truth is it was simple petulance. I didn't like being ordered around like a glorified watch dog. The only way I could think of to rebel was to stop taking my medicine." Angela seemed surprised by the admission. One of them snickered.

"I would take the pill and hold it under my tongue so I could spit it out later. For some reason, no one was particularly eager to check if I'd swallowed." He grinned, making no effort to hide his fangs. The laughter was a little more open this time. "It took a few days, but the effects faded. I found I could think clearly again. I still wasn't certain they had been lying, but I figured if it killed me..." he shrugged. "Well it wasn't much of a life at that point anyway." The mood in the room darkened considerably. "I started watching carefully. I saw the computer room where they kept their files and the controls for the more complex pieces of equipment. It was just like a lot of high security installations. No one there paid the guards much attention, not even the really weird looking guards. I learned a couple of access codes and took my chance last night."

The gargoyles leaned forward and paid closer attention. "The codes I had only got me a look at the files. I wasn't able to copy anything to disk or print it. In any other place this would have seemed a ridiculous degree of security, but as I read the files on the mutates, Sevarius, and Xanatos I began to understand exactly how determined they were to keep this information to themselves. The whole ugly story was there. I didn't understand much of the technical stuff, but I understood enough to realize the implications of an entirely new type of biological weapon." He paused to look at the grave faces around him. "That information must be destroyed."

Goliath nodded. "I agree. We will do whatever we can to help you."

The group got settled and began to make plans.

OOOOOOOOOO

"Everything is in place. I've had the equipment delivered as Talon directed. Although, it would make more sense to handle this at one of my facilities." Xanatos had tried this tack before.

"No," Talon insisted. "There can be nothing leading back to you. I've made arrangements for Hunter and his mutates to be taken care of."

"What if one of them needs serious medical attention? You can't exactly walk into an emergency room."

"Like I said, I've made plans of my own for that. If the equipment you delivered works properly there won't be a problem." Talon sounded annoyed at having to repeat himself and was clearly suspicious of anything Xanatos had a hand in.

"Very well, on to other matters. I checked the property records and found that that complex is owned by a biomedical research company called Mallon Inc. There is next to no information available about the company or the person who owns it. I was able to get blueprints of the building, however, from the county hall of records." He unrolled them. "The place is isolated. It's set up in one of the emptiest spots you'll find in Jersey. It has an independent power source, a generator, here." He pointed to a point near the back of the building.

They spent the next hour laying out plans for an attack. No one was happy about moving in with so little planning or preparation, but they all recognized the need for quick action. Three hours later, an unmarked helicopter was flying the assault team toward the New Jersey pine barrens.

OOOOOOOOOO

Dr. Benjamin found the address eventually. It wasn't much to look at, but it was where the message had said to come. She looked around nervously as she rang the bell. This was a bad neighborhood and she was less than happy about being there, but the invitation had proven irresistible.

Eventually the door was answered. It wasn't opened, though. "Hello, were closed for the night. If it's an emergency-"

"Delihla sent me," she interrupted with the password she'd been given. The man considered this for a moment before opening the door.

"Dr. Benjamin?"

"Yes. I came as soon as I could. What's going on?" The stranger grimaced.

"Sorry if I seemed inhospitable, but in this neighborhood it pays to be cautious, even if you don't have something to hide." He smiled and extended his hand. "I'm Frank. Delihla and Maggie are in the back helping us set up."

She shook his hand. "Carrie Benjamin. I know about the… PR problems, so there's no need to explain your caution. What exactly is going on?"

"You weren't told?" She shook her head. "Well, it seems there has been some trouble with another group of… er, winged individuals. I think they expect it to turn ugly."

"Gargoyles fighting among each other?" For some reason the notion shocked her.

"Not exactly." Benjamin turned at the quiet voice. There was a young female gargoyle standing in the door to the back room. "I'm Maggie. Come in, and I'll explain the situation."

They settled around a small table in a windowless room. Aside from Maggie and Delihla, there were two humans in the room, Frank, a pudgy, gray-haired man with an affable smile and a slightly vacant expression, and a slim, younger man with dark brown hair and eyes and what seemed a perpetually grim expression. The expression, Benjamin thought, ruined his face. He might be good looking if he smiled. His name, he said, was Dr. Martin Hadely, and he was a friend of the clan.

"I've been running this clinic on a shoestring budget for two years now. The people in this neighborhood can't afford to go anywhere else for treatment. Frank here was one of my regulars. He's something of a hypochondriac." Frank looked offended, but said nothing. "He came around so often I decided I might as well put him to work. The first time he came to me with stories of gargoyles I thought he'd gone back to drinking. When I first saw them I seriously considered starting." His expression remained deadpan so Benjamin didn't know what to make of the remark. "They've been coming to me for help and lending a hand when they could ever since. More than once they've chased off thieves who wanted to steal the clinic's medicines. They've been a great help to me, and I've been happy to help them in return."

He leaned back and sighed heavily. "As to the current situation, that will require some explanation. Prepare yourself for a shock."

"The first thing you need to know Dr. Benjamin," the one called Maggie said, "is that I am not what I seem."

"You're not a gargoyle?" Carrie hadn't meant the question seriously, and was surprised at the answer.

"No. I used to be as human as you are." Carrie just stared. "I and three others were… changed by a man who wanted to create a living weapon capable of destroying the gargoyles. I don't pretend to know how he did it, but…" she stopped for a moment, collecting her thoughts. "We've been like this ever since." Carrie stared at the woman, not having the slightest idea what to say.

"You don't have to say anything. I know it's hard to believe, but it's true. Hard to believe, I know, that it could be done in the first place, and that someone could be so cruel, such a user of people that he would have no qualms about doing it." She was silent for a while.

"Has anyone tried to undo this?"

"Only one person knows enough to even attempt it, the one person we could never trust, the man who designed the process. We're stuck. That, however, is not why you're here." She explained about Hunter and what he hoped to accomplish that night. She didn't mention Xanatos or his part in the endeavor.

"And these mutates will be brought here? Isn't that kind of risky?"

"Very, but its less risky than leaving them without any proper care if they need it," this from Hadely. "We don't know how much time we have. We'd better get started." He showed them to another room where the medical equipment Talon had told him to expect had been set up. All the pieces for a small, but sophisticated lab were there. There was medical equipment that a small clinic could never afford. Carrie stared at it all in wonder as she began to set up.

"I don't know where they got the stuff, and I don't want to know. I'm just glad it's here." Hadely set a compact centrifuge next to a rack containing everything they would need to analyze blood samples. With the equipment on hand they could test for and identify almost any foreign substance a person might have in his system.

"Frankly," he admitted, "I've never used half of this stuff. Some of it was invented less than two years ago. That's one of the reasons you're here. A big hospital has the latest stuff that clinics like mine never see."

"I hate to break it to you, but I've only read about this machine myself." She gestured at a chemical analyzer. "I can manage, but I hope nothing goes wrong with it."

Hadely looked up sharply, "Don't say things like that. It's an invitation to trouble."

"Um." She didn't know what to say to that either, so she shut up and continued working. At some point, detective Maza arrived and began to help them. She looked pensive and didn't say much. Benjamin was surprised to see her there, but didn't comment. Maza didn't seem to be in the mood for small talk.

OOOOOOOOOO

"I should be there." Elisa gritted.

"You should be here," Maggie told her calmly. "They can handle themselves, and this place isn't exactly secure. What with Quarrymen running around, its better that your here making sure they have a safe place to come back to."

"I know all that." She sighed. "It doesn't make waiting any easier." They had paused for a cup of coffee. It wasn't very good, but they made do. Elisa grimaced and took another sip. "This is the first night off I've had in three weeks. I had hoped for some down time. Instead I'm spending it..."

"Like a cop's wife," Maggie suggested gently, "wondering if he'll come home safe?" Maggie gave a tight smile. Elisa blinked in surprise, but after a moment's thought she nodded, realizing it was rather apt. She shrugged.

"Yeah, that's it."

"You think you're the only one worrying? In case you haven't noticed I love Derek. I don't want to see him hurt. I'm not happy about this, but there's nothing I can do about it. Besides," she added after a moment's hesitation, "Hunter is right. That knowledge can't be left out there. There are too many ways to abuse it."

OOOOOOOOOO

The chopper landed half a mile from the project. Talon eyed him dubiously as Hunter shouldered his bag of "supplies."

"Are you sure the stuff you've got is going to work? It's pretty makeshift compared to what you could be carrying."

"These are things that I could have thrown together myself. We want them to think I'm on my own, at least at first. Once you've disabled the phone lines, I'll bust in and head for the holding cells. Let them think that's my only goal."

"We know the plan," Talon rumbled in annoyance, "and it should work, but some of that stuffs just as likely to blow up in your face as in theirs."

"I'll be careful," Hunter promised. "Lets do it."

OOOOOOOOOO

No one noticed immediately when the phone lines went down. No one was making a phone call at the time, and the sole technician using a modem connection began his investigation by seeing if he had kicked a plug loose. Perhaps another five minutes would have passed before anyone wondered about the outside phone lines. They weren't given five minutes to wonder.

Flying low, just over the trees, Hunter lit the twisted newspaper fuse on a crude molatov cocktail and tossed it unerringly into the generator shed. The explosion was impressive and extremely gratifying. Guards came running as the fire spread, and the complex was plunged into darkness. Hunter circled around to a different side, away from the guards. He caught the edge of a third story window and, with a towel from his bag of supplies protecting his fist, broke the glass and forced the latch from the inside. He made sure to set off an alarm in the process.

He was through the room and into the corridor in seconds. He briefly considered sending an electrical charge through the wiring of the cameras to disable the battery backup but decided that stood a better chance of starting an electrical fire than doing anything useful. He encountered resistance to his intrusion around the first corner.

Three guards armed with tasers faced him. The weapons were designed to fire wire-guided darts to the target. The wire would then conduct an electrical charge that would, theoretically, knock out a person. Hunter let them fire and then sent a bio-electric charge of his own down the wires. Even the tasers' insulation wasn't proof against the voltage he could control. The guards jerked spastically and dropped without a sound.

OOOOOOOOOO

The dark figure in the control room watched in impotent fury as the guards fell. "How did he get this far?" he snarled.

"It seems sir," one of the technicians ventured, "that he used a crude bomb to destroy the generator then forced the window. He must have also cut the phone lines. We're cut off." He consulted on his console. "Sir, emergency power won't last much longer."

His superior nodded. "Get an extra squad of guards up there to delay him, and get the other mutates ready. That seems to be his target." On the screen, Hunter charged down the corridor toward the cells where the mutates were kept. Another group of guards entered the picture. He gave the first fairly mild shock that sent him staggering, all but unconscious, into the others. They retreated to try to think of a safer way to approach him.

OOOOOOOOOO

Brooklyn, Broadway, and Lexington landed silently on the roof. The alarm system was already blaring away and the guards all seemed to be occupied. They found the roof access that Hunter had told them about and began to force their way into the top floor. It took them less than 10 seconds to force the locks and get through the door. Fortunately, there was no alarm wired to that entrance. Moving through a quiet maintenance room, they peeked out to determine where they were. The corridor had only dim red lighting thanks to Hunter. Careful to avoid the cameras, they moved quietly down the corridor toward the cells where the mutates were kept.

OOOOOOOOOO

Claw moved silently across the lawn, keeping to the shadows. When he reached the sealed door that led to the loading area, he ignored the bay door and applied a little of his formidable strength to the office door. When it opened he vanished inside. Only a few seconds passed before he motioned for the rest to follow. They dispersed through the building.

Finding the basement access was easy. There was surprisingly little resistance. Or perhaps not so surprising given the racket Hunter was making upstairs. Getting the guards at the control room door to let them in was another matter. They reacted quickly to the sight of Goliath bearing down on them, and one managed to squeeze off a shot before the lavender gargoyle barreled into him. The first guard was knocked unconscious and thrown against his companion.

Knowing the shot would alert the people inside, Goliath growled in frustration and abandoned subtlety. He broke down the door and barged into the room. Talon and Claw were right on his heels.

The people inside had barely had time to react to the gunshot before their attackers entered. Talon dropped two armed guards with a bio-electric charge before they could aim their weapons. Claw pulled the technicians away from their stations while Goliath did a quick sweep of the room dealing with what little resistance was left and ensuring that no one was hiding from them.

Out of the corner of his eye, Goliath thought he saw a shadow duck behind a bank of computer equipment. When he reached the alcove though, no one was there. He quickly examined the walls but found no sign of a hidden door. "Odd, I was certain I saw someone here." He emerged to find all resistance in the room had ceased.

"Hunter," he spoke into the mike at his throat, "We have secured the central computer room."

"Understood. I've hooked up with the trio, and Broadway has moved to the second floor." All was going according to plan.

On the second floor, Angela and Broadway checked the rooms and secured them as they went. They finished the sweep in under five minutes. "The second floor is clear," Angela reported.

OOOOOOOOOO

Hunter faced the other mutates created by the project. Two of them had attacked him, and he had had to knock them out. The other two, lacking clear orders, were at a loss. They stood by looking confused. "I know it's hard to think right now, but that will change soon. Once the drugs you've been taking have cleared from your systems, you'll be okay. You're free." This only served to confuse them more, the latest change in their circumstances being, for the moment, beyond them. He remembered how the drugs had made him feel and felt a stab of anger toward the so-called doctors responsible. He didn't have time for anger or sympathy.

"Come with me. I'll take you someplace safe." They followed obediently, carrying their unconscious fellows.

They gathered in the computer room as Lex finished downloading the information from the computer. A little "coaxing" from Goliath had convinced the technicians to provide the access codes. "That's it," Lex said. "I got every last scrap of data downloaded."

"Did you check for viruses or other nasty surprises?" Hunter asked.

"Of course. It's clean. I know what I'm doing." Lex sounded almost offended by the implied criticism. He had to admit, though, that it would have been difficult, if not impossible without the hardware and software Xanatos had provided. It had worked perfectly.

Hunter nodded. "There is only one place left to look. Has Hudson gotten through the door at the end of the hall?" It had been the one weak spot in the operation. An armored door leading to another part of the basement was a complete unknown to Hunter, as he had never been allowed beyond it, but one of the gargoyles had stood guard at the door almost since they entered the building. Now they had to get through it.

"Almost," Talon growled. "Someone is very serious about keeping people out of there. It's been tough going."

"What about them?" The technicians cringed as Hunter gestured toward them.

"They swear they don't know what's in there or how to get in. We'd better start thinking of getting out of here, though, door or no door. I'll take your friends back the way we came. Claw will come with me."

Goliath nodded. "Angela, Broadway, you stay and watch them." He gestured at the humans. "The rest of you come with me." He led the way out of the room. The group split up outside. Talon took the confused mutates in tow and headed for the outer door and the helicopter that would be waiting for them.

"Okay," said Brooklyn, looking up at the massive door that was just beginning to give. "Let's see what's behind door number one." Putting all of their muscle behind it, the door finally gave. What was behind it made them all stare.

It was another lab. They had seen several of them already, the complex equipment and substances needed for making the mutagen were elaborate, but this lab was the most sophisticated yet. Along one wall was a bank of computer monitors. Against another was a strange arrangement of beakers, tubes, and retorts. In one corner was what Lex identified as a VR microscope. There was equipment in the room that none of them could identify.

Dominating the room, however, was a row of cloning tanks. A quick examination showed that only one was occupied. Even as they watched, the emergency power began to fade, and the indistinct figure inside began to twist and writhe.

"Get it open, fast!" Brooklyn moved to disengage the hoses leading to the tank. It started to drain; Goliath took a more direct approach and ripped open the tank itself. When the figure inside was pulled free it began to cough and sputter. What seemed like gallons of fluid poured from its mouth onto the floor. Finally, it took a ragged breath, then raised its head and looked around. In the dim light it was hard to tell, but it looked vaguely female, and surprisingly small.

"We can sort this out later," Hunter growled, knowing that time was running out. Only four hours remained until dawn, and reinforcements might arrive long before then. He glanced at the computers on which the pertinent data was no doubt stored, but dismissed the idea of having Lex hack the systems. Not enough time. "Let's get out of here." He suited actions to words and the others followed. Soon, the building was empty. "Get on out of here. There's one last bit of business." He turned and reentered the building. "Go. I'll catch up."

Hunter went to the labs on the lower level. He meticulously directed high voltage blasts at each piece of equipment. Breaking open a chemical storage cabinet, Hunter began spreading flammable chemicals as he moved up through the building. He started more than a dozen fires along the way. By the time he reached the roof the building was burning fiercely, beyond hope of salvage. The fire was clearly visible from the landing site by the time he caught up with the others.

"Was that necessary?" Talon asked. Hunter gave him a long measuring look.

"You tell me." His tone clearly indicated that he was in no mood to talk. The chopper lifted off and headed for Manhattan.

OOOOOOOOOO

When the truck carrying the gargoyles and mutates arrived, no time was wasted on conversation. Everyone was rushed inside, and the two doctors got to work examining the mutates, until Goliath called Benjamin's attention to their special patient.

"She has barely moved since being released from the tank, and hasn't spoken at all. She doesn't seem to know what is going on around her." Benjamin stared at the creature before her. It's size and development were consistent with those of a seven or eight year old girl, but there, any resemblance to a human child ended. Her skin was deep red, several shades darker than Brooklyn's. Her features were vaguely human, but they had a feline aspect to them that reminded her of Maggie. She had wings, as did the others, but there was a difference to them she couldn't quite identify. Her hair was short and black, but not spiky like Angela's, softer and finer, rather like Maza's hair. All in all, Carrie thought, she was quite lovely. The only thing that spoiled the effect was the vacant expression on her face.

She gave her patient a brief examination and took a blood sample as she had from the others. She reacted to Benjamin, moving her head or opening her mouth when it was made clear that that was what the doctor wanted.

Hunter had been watching closely. "It's almost as if she's autistic," he mused. "The records indicate that the clones have been "programmed" with some knowledge. It is possible that the programming wasn't complete when we let her out." He considered carefully. "We just don't know."

"You've no idea who she is?" Hunter moved away from the table with Dr. Benjamin.

"Doctor, we're not even sure what she is." Her face tightened a bit at this. "There isn't enough information." They were interrupted by the subject under discussion; as she got up and began wandering about the room. She eventually opened a door and found her way into a bathroom. Everyone stared after her.

"Programmed?" Angela guessed tentatively. Delihla, the only clone present, looked distinctly uncomfortable.

"You've got to admit," Hunter commented. "That is a neat trick." This earned him several frosty looks. "It also goes a ways toward confirming what I suspected. Her 'education' is incomplete. She has the basics, but no more than that. Without detailed information about the length of time it takes to make a clone, how long the pro-". He glanced at Delihla, seeming to remember her for the first time, "ah, education takes, or an idea of what her education consisted of, I can't begin to guess at how much was left undone. She may be an essentially blank slate." No one seemed inclined to argue with his assessment, and no one seemed terribly thrilled with the callous way he delivered it either. If Hunter noticed, he didn't show it. He was thinking fast, trying to decide how to proceed. He hoped the computer data they had stolen would provide a direction. Beyond that, he didn't have a clue.

OOOOOOOOOO

Over the next hour almost everyone left at Hadely's insistence that they get out from under foot. Goliath found a moment alone with Elisa.

"I'm worried. It seems unlikely that people who would go to such lengths to protect their secrets would have kept everything at one location, putting all their eggs in one basket. What if there are other copies of the research?"

He rested his hands on her shoulders. "We will deal with that problem if it arises. Hopefully Lexington will be able to learn more from the disks we took." He sighed. "It is frustrating to know that such a threat exists and have to wait, unable to act." She could practically feel his muscles tensing, and knew that, in many ways, the idea that others had and could use that knowledge was more of a burden to him than to her. His tension was contagious, and she tried to break it.

"No sense getting tied in knots over possibilities. We'll know more soon enough." Elisa made a conscious effort to relax. "Maybe we need a vacation," she suggested with a smile. "It seems like every time we see each other there's some crisis." Sighing, she leaned into his embrace. "I'd like to spend some time alone with you." Turning to face him, Elisa moved closer.

"I too would enjoy that." He held her tight and enjoyed the warmth of her, the smell of her hair. A sound from the door shattered the moment.

They turned to see Doctor Benjamin watching them wide-eyed.

"Um, I don't mean to interrupt, but I've finished the tests. I thought everyone might want to hear this."

"Erm, ah, yes. We'll be right there." Benjamin couldn't be sure, but she thought Goliath was blushing. She was certain Maza was. The doctor beat a hasty retreat, trying not to think about it.

Elisa allowed herself a slight smile. "We'll pick this up again soon," she promised. They followed the doctor.

"All of them are in basically good health… aside from the obvious." She stopped, feeling a bit awkward. "Um, the drug in their systems is a variant on a common relaxant used by some mental institutions. It will fade in a few days. The effect isn't cumulative." She walked over to her most puzzling patient. "I'm still not sure what to make of you." She addressed the creature directly. "It would help if you could tell us something about yourself." The only response was the normal vacant look, offset by a slightly puzzled frown. Perhaps, thought Benjamin, she knows I'm talking to her directly. If that were the case there were no further indications, Benjamin turned to address the others, moving away from her patient.

"She seems healthy, but I really have no clue as to what her physiology is all about. As Hunter suggested, the symptoms are fairly consistent with autism, but I have no expertise in that area. I suspect his theory about her education is more or less accurate. It's a place to start anyway. I wish there were a way I could put her in the hospital for observation. Perhaps if-"

"No, doctor." Everyone looked at Hunter. "I share your concern, but that is quite impossible. With the current attitude toward gargoyles right now she stands a better chance of winding up on a dissection table than getting any help."

Everyone stared at Hunter, shocked. Maggie moved over to the girl and put a protective arm around her. "I don't like it, but unfortunately it's true. The chances of that outcome increase when you consider where she came from. The people who set up that lab won't be happy about losing her, and I doubt they'll sit still while doctors poke and prod her at a hospital."

"He has a point," Talon agreed, "not that I'd want her taken to a hospital anyway. What those people were doing was very illegal. She's evidence. And we gave them a bloody nose tonight. They won't take it lightly."

"Who exactly is 'they' anyway?" Hadely wanted to know.

Hunter held up a CD. "We'll know soon enough."

"For now, she'll stay with us." Talon moved to stand next to Maggie and the girl. "We'll look after her." He looked down at her and did his best to look friendly. He could only manage to look slightly less threatening. Maggie had better luck and gave her a hug. Seeing that she was in good hands, Talon looked back at Hunter. "You and your friends are welcome to stay as long as you want. Join our clan if you wish."

"Thank you." Hunter said sincerely.

"All right then. Let's go home."

THE END


End file.
